Reptibark is WAY too expensive for my tastes as well. You'd be better off looking for pine bark mulch, rather then "fines". The labeling on what is useful for the mixes can vary. In fact, last summer, I went to a landscape outfit that sold pine bark mulch in bulk, with the intent of simply getting mulch for my garden. I filled two 55g barrels, and being a "fill your own" deal, I scooped from the bottom, where the smaller particles were. I was pleasantly surprised to find that with some sifting, I could have easily gotten quite a lot of "fines" that would be suitable for gritty mix or 5-1-1. I payed $12 for the 2 barrels full, and could have probably gotten the equivalent of 3 or 4 two cubic foot bags of fines. You might want to see if you can find a landscape supplier or sawmill that has pine bark mulch. As for the perlite, if you lived closer, I'd give you a huge bag for free. I bought a rather large bag, for around $15, figuring I was going to use lots of 5-1-1 mix, but now I realize I have too much. Personally, I'm not all THAT wild about the 5-1-1 mix, because if you let it go just a bit too dry, it's VERY difficult to water, due to repulsion. I'll tell ya though, for outdoor stuff, 5-1-1 is a good choice, but for your indoor plants, just skip the 5-1-1 and go gritty. You may try the barkless mix, but be cautious of fertilizing, and Foliage Pro 9-3-6 is a must. I got mine from Amazon for $23 for a quart, which looks like it'll last me a few years. I'm no pro, and am only a year into this gritty mix thing, but I'll assist you in every way I can if you choose to go barkless. I made the choice to do it not knowing how things would turn out, but so far, so good. I'll probably never use the bark again, and stick with my turface/grit combo. Another advantage is that when you lose the bark, your mix will literally last forever. Nothing in it breaks down, so you can just repot with the same mix over and over. Basically, you buy a couple bags of turface and grit, and you're good for eternity! Joe P.S. I have no pics, because I think you need to use some sort of host or something, and then use html to link to it. I am a somewhat old school 32 year old, not liking the hassle involved with a lot of the internet stuff, especially social networking stuff. I haven't a clue how to post pictures on this forum.

No chemicals or pesticides for years and as of the last two years, no tilling... and my garden gets better every year. The only things I use sparingly (so sparingly that I haven't used any so far this year) is an organic fungicide and some BT for controlling caterpillars (also have not used this so far). The only scary thing about using no pesticides and no herbicides is that things will always get worse before they get better. Basically, detrimental insects are the first to show up, they are opportunistic feeders and when presented with tender and delicious garden crops they will begin feasting. Their numbers will likely grow large assuming they have enough to eat and ideal conditions in other respects. Only once their numbers are fairly significant will the beneficial predatory insects begin to show up because their food (other insects) is now readily available. For my garden, the first on the scene are aphids, then come the flea beetles... Their numbers grow large, my plants leaves begin to look like they're part of a shooting range with holes all over the place. Then the ladybugs show up, then the hoverflies, then green lacewings and I get treated to the site of a praying mantis every now and then. The aphids nearly disappear, the flea beetles reduce in number so as to become non-issue and sometimes they disappear completely. Organic gardening without pesticides and herbicides is easy, once you figure out what works in your area - that's where the research and trial and error begin. The biggest thing I learned is that gardening without pesticides and herbicides means you need to plan things out and do things differently, generally at different times of year. I was always taught (non-organic) to till and add fertilizer in the spring, give your plants some "blue water" once they’re a certain size, and some more at regular intervals for the rest of the season; When the bugs show-up, spray them. For weeds, I was always told to use block material or landscape fabric, it’ll keep weeds from coming through. What I do now is no-till with mulching about 3-4 times a year using locally grown hay (preferably alfalfa hay - though it's more expensive and I generally go with a mix) maintaining a 4-6" deep layer for most of the year. The hay mulch smothers just about every weed, retains soil moisture, protects the soil life, and feeds the soil as it breaks down; It's great stuff. In the fall I top-dress my amendments: Compost made from kitchen scraps, some manure (free) from a local horse farm, chopped leaves and grass, and then hay over the top - It rots over the fall, winter, and early spring. Then (early spring) I add more hay and then I plant directly into it. By the time plants go into the soil, they have everything they need for pretty much the whole season. Mid-to-late season I'll pile on some more mulch to maintain about 4-6 inches in mulch thickness and keep the flow of food into the soil. No spraying for bugs involved in any of that. It actually works out to also be a lot cheaper since I have no real need to buy any fertilizers and to mulch 400 sq ft. of garden costs 16 dollars.

dcarch, Thanks for posting that diagram of your 'suspension bridge' tomato support system. We already have the poles in the ground and DH will rig the 'suspension' for 2010. Finally we have a tomato support that will work AND give air circulation to the plants. BTW we grow in EarthBox and will set the EB's right down the middle of the suspension supports - I can see it now.......... Thanks!! natal, Thanks for that photo of your garden. I have wanted DH to put more of my garden in the front yard and after he saw your photo he said "We can do that - easy" We are off to get the fencing in a few days. We downloaded your photo for reference. Thanks!! DL

Gardengirl12 - I am 48 and expanding my garden so don't hesitate to move forward. We all have our good days and better days. The only bad days are those days on which we allow ourselves to second guess our dreams, our plans and our ability to carry those out! I come from many generations of market gardeners (different styles, different relatives) so it is definitely in my blood lol. My parents are currently aged 72 and 74 and they continue to successfully operate a CSA and market garden, subsidized with specialty jams, jellies and baked goods. Figuring out what specifically are good sellers in your area is very vital, however; this takes time and so just plan for that. Keep your expectations low enough that you won't be discouraged and can maintain a positive view as your business grows. Write down achievable goals for each of the next 3 seasons. Keep DETAILED notes on both successes and failures so that you can build from them each year. Every gardener is unique in their technique, needs, abilities and market area so having a bunch of folks looking over a business plan which is developed specifically for you is not worth bothering with. Only you truly know what you are capable of doing physically, mentally and emotionally to bring your dreams to reality. Most populated areas have some sort of farmers market already established. If you have not already done so, take the time to visit EVERY TIME it is open to study what others are successfully selling. Make notes on what types sell the best, what seems to just sit there and get tossed out at the end of the day. Also take note if the majority of the sellers seem to carry "value added" products such as soaps, jams, wool, eggs etc to make up a portion of their sales. If there is a well established specialty vendor such as "Tomato Lady", I would plan to grow and sell something different as my main source of income. You can always introduce a specialty item similar down the road but focus on developing your own following and avoid disappointment from trying to directly compete with someone who is already well established. As you are developing your sales plan, keep in mind that the majority of your first customers are going to be those whom you already know. Just putting yourself and your product out there is not enough to sell the amount you will need to earn a profit. I am not a big believer in local chambers etc and I refuse to pay dues to be a "part of the community business network" in which I live. Consider ways to effectively advertise for yourself at either no cost or low cost. Keep in mind that ANY cost is going to effect your bottom line even if it is only a penny for the ink that printed you those 50 copies on your home computer. Stay detail oriented so that in the future you can truly see where things can be changed to be better financially as you grow the business. Don't try to be everything to everyone! EVER! You will ALWAYS have someone asking for something that you don't have. Don't fall into the trap of trying to provide it all because the time and product it takes you to grow "just 2" of something special, is time and product which is taken away from what you have developed well already. If you continuously receive requests by more than a dozen customers for a new item, then consider it a possibility for a "limited time only" product. EG - I don't grow zucchini because every Grandma and her neighbor does. However; IF I kept getting requests from more than a dozen of my REGULAR customers, I would consider growing enough just to serve them. I don't see that happening anytime soon though as my market really supports the "unusual" versus the "ordinary". I could go on and on lol yet I have winter sowing to get done. I hope you do well with your adventure and I truly mean that... it IS an adventure!